Be Useful: Patrick Garrigan on Building Events, Media, and Revenue That Last

In this episode of The Revenue Room™, host Heather Holst-Knudsen sits down with Patrick Garrigan, Co-Founder and CEO of Tenning, the advisory and events firm he launched with Kris Coratti Kelly (formerly Chief Communications Officer at The Washington Post and EVP of Global Communications at CNN). After two decades building commercial engines at The Atlantic, POLITICO, Bloomberg — where he launched the Qatar Economic Forum as Global Head of Bloomberg Live — and Condé Nast, where he created Vogue World and led Vogue Business and WIRED Consulting, Patrick bet that judgment itself is a sellable, scalable product. He shares what musical theater taught him about running a room, why most business events "don't have to stink," and the one question every event organizer should ask before launching a media business. CONNECT WITH PATRICK:   / patrickgarrigan   What you'll learn: [03:58] The through-line from musical theater to Bloomberg forums and Vogue World: audience-first thinking (straight from Aristotle's Poetics), creativity under constraint, and narrative that takes people on a journey. [06:56] "Does it have to stink?" — why B2B and regulated industries are no excuse for boring events, and why there's freedom in limitations. [10:25] How The Atlantic became Patrick's commercial and intellectual awakening: force of intellect, spirit of generosity, and mastering "the art of caring" as the real engine of high-performing sales. [16:10] Why you can't sell everything over Zoom — the post-COVID case for getting back in the field, and the questions that only get answered face to face. [18:01] From the Qatar Economic Forum to Vogue World in nine months: what travels between B2B and B2C events (think audaciously, no half measures) and what doesn't. [23:37] Inside Tenning's "be useful" operating model — scrubbing in for the client's needs and nothing more, and why that integrity means the work evolves instead of ending. [25:39] Tenning Power Centers: a new event series connecting investors, operators, and policymakers in rising cities like Columbus, Dallas, and Denver — the power centers beyond the coasts. [30:09] How Patrick manages three very different client types, why "brand lift" is his least favorite success metric, and how shared frameworks empower endlessly creative teams. [34:52] The media-events asymmetry: why media companies launch events naturally, and the hard questions event organizers must answer before building a media business ("Is anyone actually asking for this?"). [38:23] The Times Square prop that didn't look like it was billed: running headlong toward problems, owning mistakes in person, and why relationships get stronger after a well-handled failure. [42:21] Stop booking speakers, start reporting: why events need narrative instead of "a series of meandering one-act plays," and why audience strategy should be your first hire, not an afterthought. Why Listen: Build events people actually feel: Learn how theatrical storytelling — audience, narrative, performance — turns conferences from content dumps into experiences that bring people back. Sell with judgment, not inventory: See how a "be useful" advisory model wins trust, keeps work evolving, and turns integrity into a growth engine. Avoid the media-launch trap: Get the honest checklist for event organizers tempted to build media assets — talent, consistency, time, and whether anyone is asking for it. Rethink your program design: Discover why "chunky networking time," fewer speakers, and stronger narrative outperform wall-to-wall content — especially for the next generation of attendees. This conversation continues on stage at RevvedUP 2027, The Revenue Room™’s flagship annual conference, March 14–16, 2027, at The Vinoy in St. Petersburg, Florida. Now in its third year, RevvedUP brings together a curated group of CEOs and C-suite revenue leaders around this year’s theme, “Compounding Advantage: AI, Data, and the New Race for Enterprise Value.” The questions raised in this post are the ones operators will pressure-test with peers in the room. Learn more and register at www.revvedup2027.com. About Heather Holst-Knudsen Heather Holst-Knudsen is Founder and CEO of H2K Labs and The Revenue Room™. She is a recognized operator and thought leader in digital transformation, data, and revenue growth across media, marketplaces, and adjacent technologies. Connect with Heather on LinkedIn:   / heatherholstknudsen   About Revenue Room™ CXO Revenue Room™ CXO is a private executive community for CEOs and revenue-critical leaders shaping growth in the data and AI economy. Through confidential peer sessions and strategy sprints, members tackle real-world revenue transformation and enterprise value creation. Apply or learn more: https://www.revenueroomcxo.com/cxo-me...